Justin Gaethje may be a savage in the octagon but he’s a gentleman outside the cage.
Despite a heartbreaking loss in the “BMF” title fight at UFC 300, the always exciting human highlight reel still took time to congratulate opponent Max Holloway on a job well done in his first public comments afterwards. Gaethje took to Twitter after the event to send a message to Holloway and offer a quick update on his condition.
“I’m in great spirits with my family,” Gaethje wrote. “Thanks for all the love. What a sport. Max Holloway, you’re a dog. Congrats. Well deserved double bonus.”
I’m in great spirits with my family. Thanks for all the love. What a sport. @BleedMMA you’re a dog. Congrats. Well deserved double bonus #ufc300
— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) April 14, 2024
It was a tough night at the office for Gaethje, who suffered a gruesome broken nose at the end of the opening round after Holloway connected on a spinning back kick just before the horn sounded. The broken nose continued to give Gaethje problems all night long, especially with Holloway targeting that same injury with a barrage of jabs and straight punches throughout the fight.
Even with a mangled nose, Gaethje still gave Holloway everything he could handle including a knockdown — that was later ruled a slip — as he continued to engage with him in every, single exchange.
The end came after Holloway pointed to the ground in the center of the cage and invited Gaethje to trade punches with him during the final 10 seconds in the fight. That’s when Holloway uncorked a devastating right hand that blasted Gaethje and sent him crashing face first to the canvas.
The fight ended with just one second left on the clock.
It certainly wasn’t the outcome Gaethje wanted, especially with so much riding on the fight.
A win would have almost guaranteed Gaethje a title shot at reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev later this year but that all goes away now. Instead, Gaethje has to lick his wounds and live to fight another day after Holloway ended his night in dramatic fashion.
He will walk away with an extra $300,000 after earning Fight of the Night honors with Holloway getting the same along with another $300,000 for Performance of the Night at UFC 300.
